NBC Has Cast Mads Mikkelsen As Hannibal Lecter In "Hannibal" TV Series

In one of the most inspired casting choices we have seen for a television show in a long time, NBC has cast Mads Mikkelsen to play Hannibal Lecter in its upcoming Silence of the Lambs prequel TV drama, Hannibal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The show will be produced by Bryan Fuller, who was also behind Pushing Daisies, and it will be based off of Thomas Harris' original novels. The prequel series also stars Hugh Dancy as Will Graham, the criminal profiler who is on the hunt for a serial killer with the FBI and enlists Dr. Lecter's help with the case. The pilot will be directed by David Slade.

Mikkelsen is best known in the States for his role as Le Chiriffe in 2006's Casino Royale, but other than that, he made a name for himself by starring in small foreign films like Pusher and Valhalla Rising. More recently, Mikkelsen was cast as a yet-unnamed villain in Thor 2.